Would anyone like to see an "All wheel-drive" Tacoma option?

I would not be able to get out of my driveway without 4wd. 2wd with new bfg ko2 and I just slide backwards in the snow.

 

For those of you doubters saying 4wd doesn't help handling you're very mistaken. The ability to "pull out of" a slide through throttle rather than apply throttle and let the back end whip out from under you.

Or take the scenario where you're cruising along doing fine, but then start to go up an icy hill. An on-the-fly shift to 4wd when it senses slippage would save some people from stopping (and maybe not re-starting in 4wd or possibly sliding down because momentum is lost). Yeah yeah, you can shift into 4wd ahead of time if you're watching, but for the majority of people I know out there (not an offroad enthusiast) they wouldn't realize it until it's too late.

So yes to the OP, I definitely would like an auto-4WD option OR AWD.

And again, to those of you who don't think AWD is the same as 4wd (or auto-4wd) then you clearly have been experiencing poor AWD systems. A proper center differential with electronically controlled ratios (10/90 to 50/50 front/rear like DCCD on a Subaru STI) can function just as well at putting power down as a 50:50 transfer case. A LSD in the front and rear makes for an amazing winter vehicle. To this day I haven't driven something as good as my 2004 WRX STI in snow. The tacoma suffers from the "cruising along in 2wd, boom patch of ice" problem, as does my 2004 Jeep TJ.

 

Ha ha....how deep is the snow ? Maybe you should shovel your drive way. ;-) Btw, as good as AT tires are, they are not snow tires and if there is any ice underneath, they slide. This is part of the two mile dirt road I drive out every day on the side of a mountain. With snow tires, I have no problem going out with only the LSD engaged. The hills are steep and obviously, starting off on them requires 4 wd.
Snow tires would really help you along with 200 plus lbs in the back. AT tires are not a substitute for snow tires for winter driving in Maine. They can be used in many other places but it gets so cold and the AT rubber gets had and looses traction in slippery conditions compare to a good modern snow tire.

Btw, weight in the back helps a lot....200 lbs at the very least. I have a two hundred pound cap plus another 70 pounds of tube sand bags.

 

I agree. AWD in snow handles best but 4 wd helps you track straight.
Another thing people don't believe is that 4 wd helps braking.
It helps when you engine brake going down a slippery snow covered hll because the engine braking force is distributed between the two axles. With rear wheel drive, your rear could swing around and with front wheel drive, you could loose steerage. It it's icy, it's best to forgo any engine braking and brake just with your abs system.

 

Yeah, if I was going to be in snow 3/4 of the year I would definitely get snow tires.. But have you been to az? The rocks here would do a pretty good job of ruining those tires pretty quickly for what I do. So I have to go with a/t and 4wd. I have heard though from other people that a good set of snow tires are better than all season and awd. Guess it comes down to how good the system is made.

 

OP, I definitely would love to have an AWD or full-time 4WD option in my new Tacoma. I also own a Limited '14 4 runner which has just that...and it is awesome. Does it use more fuel..YES. Is it absolutely necessary...NO, is it great to never, ever concern yourself with your back end slipping out on a suddenly icy or snowy road...Absolutely. In these light back end Tacoma's, that would be an even better feature, where in potentially bad road conditions, I often find myself putting it in 4WD just to avoid that. I don't want to drive 30 MPH, as others have suggested, just to avoid "maybe" running into slippery road conditions. The full time 4WD is a really nice feature on my 4runner that I would love to have in my truck too.

I get a kick out of all the "experienced drivers" that get offended with the technology that these vehicles are providing today. Experience is great, I have plenty of it myself, but why on earth would you turn your nose up at the advantages some of this stuff provides. Unless these guys figure out a way to independently brake each wheel separately, than I don't want to hear that they can replicate these technologies with their experience. How about MTS? Can they independently throttle each wheel? See something from behind them? C'mon guys, open up, get with the times. Your great experience + this new tech makes a great combination.

 

I want awd just to put the power down. Warm sunny day or cold and rainy, i want to be able to use all the bottom end my truck has to offer any time i ask it. From a performance standpoint it would be fantastic.

 

I get crap all day long from people because i run studded snows. Why wouldnt i want every possible safety advantage? Some people are ignorant and just dont get it.

 

To the OP's question. I'd definitely want to be able to run AWD - 4Hi with center diff. I live in the rainy northwest and often times I get wheel slip in even moderate acceleration on wet surfaces. Accelerating up hill, quickly pulling out of a drive way or sometimes even hitting the painted lines on the road. I'd pay quite a bit of money for that actually. For now, when I need to quickly accelerate on wet pavement, I use 4wd.

 

I hear you....you are right. For occasional snow AT tires are fine....they are good ones too. The soft rubber would get chewed up by the rocks....

 

Wife has the Venza AWD....they are fantastic and convenient.

 

I'd probably find myself on dirt roads going too fast with awd. Not a bad thing. But if it were a system as good as Audi or Subaru.. It would be pretty cool.

 

The AWD system in the previous gen 4 Runner used a Torsen center diff, similar to those in the best handling AWD cars. It WAS great in snow on road. Not as good as the two Subarus we had, but very good " for a truck".

 

Drove into work this morning on a couple inches of snow. Can't believe some people would say use 2wd in these circumstances. In 2wd unloaded and without specialized tires, the truck would be all over the place. In 4wd with a manual, I can lose traction, go sideways, and still manage to recover quickly. Obviously it doesn't give the driver carte blanche, but I can't imagine having the capability and not using it.

 

i like it the way it is, stop trying to turn it into a car. smfh

 

For me it's a matter of personal preference. I run in 2wd in bad weather unless the truck is actually spinning instead of accelerating or the conditions are bad enough to warrant constant use of 4x4. Keeping it in 2wd lets me know when the road surface is causing slippage, whereas running it in 4x4 all the time can mask how bad the road is until you need to stop or travel through a tight corner, when you're really in trouble. Having it in 4x4 and not getting any slippage from the drive wheels can let you 'forget' that the roads are bad and you can get going faster than you should be. I've seen lots of vehicles off the road during bad weather over the years, and probably 75% of them are AWD's or 4x4's that were moving too fast for the conditions. Keeping it in 2wd just keeps me more 'in tune' with the road conditions.

But, I also run Duratracs during the winter, and even in 2wd they're very stable. And my plow truck has Ye Olde Style very aggressive high-traction studded tires, which serve the same purpose.